Democrat Rita Hart announced she would challenge the final vote totals in Iowa’s Second Congressional District after Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was declared the winner by a six-vote margin.
Hart’s campaign wants ballots that they claim were legally cast but not considered in the state’s recount process to count. Hart is planning to file a petition with the House Committee on Administration under the Federal Contested Elections Act.
The Hart campaign claims that on Nov. 23, the recount board in Jasper County conducted a machine recount that netted nine votes for Hart.
“However, at the urging of the Miller-Meeks campaign, the recount board conducted yet another recount on Nov. 25 that netted just one vote for Rita,” the campaign said.
Hart, for her part, tweeted:
“We all watched IA-2 close from 47 votes to six, but there are still ballots that haven’t been counted. The only way to ensure all Iowans’ votes are counted is a full examination of this election by the U.S. House that will consider every ballot cast.”
Miller-Meeks tweeted out:
“Rita Hart has chosen a political process controlled by Nancy Pelosi over a legal process controlled by Iowa judges. All Iowans should be outraged by this decision.”
Her campaign said the recount process was entered into with a simple strategy — ensuring every Iowan who voted would be treated equally and have his or her vote counted.
“Rita Hart has chosen to avoid Iowa’s judicial system because she knows that a fair objective analysis of this election would show what we already know: Miller-Meeks won,” said the Miller-Meeks campaign.
Jeff Kaufmann, the chair of the Iowa GOP, tweeted his thoughts:
“Instead of exhausting all legal options here in Iowa, once the votes were counted and she knew she lost, Rita Hart immediately ran to Speaker Pelosi to help her steal this seat from Iowans. Pelosi didn’t follow the rules of her state when she went to a hair salon during lockdown; she certainly isn’t going to follow our rules when it comes to Iowans electing our representatives. This utterly shameful attempt to upend the will of the voters of the Second District will leave the very people Hart wished to represent voiceless in Washington D.C. until this sham is sorted out. Hart should accept the certified votes and immediately concede the election.”
Secretary of State Paul Pate said that a bipartisan and transparent recount process in all 24 counties confirmed Iowans elected Miller-Meeks.
“Under Iowa law the deadline to contest the election is today. Iowans made their voices heard in record numbers, and in the event of a contested election they deserve to have the contest process decided by Iowa judges,” Pate said. “The will of Iowa voters should not be overturned by partisan Washington D.C. politicians.”
